This Instant Pot Roast Beef and Gravy recipe is warm, hearty and full of flavor. Chuck or topside beef is seared and pressure cooked pot-roast style in a delicious red wine brown gravy resulting in fall apart, tender meat. Served with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables for a perfect dinner meal.
Instant Pot Beef Roast & Gravy
This brown gravy pot roast beef is a warm and hearty dinner recipe, perfect with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables.
Slow cooking or using an oven to make tender beef roast can take hours but it's much quicker with the Instant Pot and requires minimum effort.
Beef - chuck or topside cut - is seared using the Saute function. The pot is deglazed with red wine with all those beef juices incorporated into a rich gravy broth. The meat is then pressure cooked - half-submerged in the gravy (pot-roast style) - so it's well infused with flavor and tender enough for shredding, although you can also slice it.
The cooking gravy is reduced and thickened ever so slightly. It's rich and robust with savory, umami flavors, simply irresistible poured all over the roast beef. When it comes to beef roast Instant Pot recipes, this one is a must-try!
Pot Roast vs Roast Beef
The names pot roast and roast beef may refer to the same dish. However, there are a couple of small differences. Pot roast is meat cooked in broth/liquid, although it's not always submerged like the meat in a stew, so the top still browns. The cooking broth becomes the gravy in which the meat is served or is poured over.
Roast beef, if strictly speaking, refers to meat cooked dry or out of any liquid. It can sit in its cooking fat and juices (drippings) but the gravy or sauce is usually prepared afterwards or separately.
Our Instant Pot roast beef recipe is more like a pot-roast, although you will get plenty of browning and the meat can be sliced like roast beef rather than shredded. The cooking broth is made with added gravy mix which flavor the meat and then becomes the serving sauce.
What You'll Need
Our Instant Pot pot roast features only a handful of ingredients: beef and all the bits you need to make the cooking and serving gravy. Let's recap!
- Beef for roasting: For this type of roast beef, cooked in the Instant Pot pot-roast style, you can use chuck, round or topside roast cuts. We used topside roast beef that we cut into two large pieces. You can leave the roast whole if it fits in the pot or fold it in; otherwise, cut it into 2-3 pieces.
- For the gravy sauce: Onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper are just a few simple ingredients for the broth. Red wine (any type) is great for deglazing the pot after searing the meat, plus it adds depth and acidity to the gravy. A lot of the flavor (and texture) will come from the brown gravy mix. You need about one 28 g/ 1 oz sachet or 2-3 tablespoons of dry powder. Then, it's just water and a little flour right at the end if you want to thicken the gravy further.
How To Make Beef Roast In Instant Pot
You will find the full recipe with ingredients and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below. Here are some handy step-by-step photos of how to make this pot roast beef in the Instant Pot. You can use a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot for this dish.
- Step 1. Cut the meat into two or three big chunks to fit inside the pot. Season with salt and pepper on each side.
- Step 2. Set up the Instant Pot and press the Saute button multiple times until it shows More mode (the hotter setting). Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to heat up.
- Step 3. Add pieces of beef, one at a time, and sear until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Once the pot gets really hot, you can press the Saute button again to change the mode from More to Normal to reduce the heat. Add a little more oil if you need it.
- Step 4. Remove the beef, and add a little more oil and the onions. Stir through for 30 seconds.
- Step 5. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot. Press Cancel to stop the Saute function.Use a spatula to stir through the wine and onions, scraping the bottom of the pot until all stuck bits are incorporated into the liquid. This will stop the Burn error from happening.
- Step 6. Add garlic cloves and thyme and stir.
- Step 6. Pour in 1.5 cups of water and stir through. Add and stir in the brown gravy mix until dissolved. The liquid will thicken slightly.
- Step 7. Place pre-seared beef pieces in the gravy. Scoop some of the liquid over the top.
- Step 8. Secure and lock the lid. Select Pressure Cook/Manual and adjust the time to 45 minutes on HIGH pressure. Now relax! Once the timer is done, release the pressure naturally. You can start preparing the sides while the pressure is released.
- Step 9. Open the lid and remove the cooked beef into a bowl. Cover with some foil or a lid to keep warm.
- Step 10. Press the Saute button again and set it to Normal mode. Allow the cooking broth to come to a simmering bubble and let it cook off for about 10 minutes, stirring a few times. This will reduce the gravy.
- Step 11. Slice or shred the beef on a platter. Do this just before the gravy is finished.
- Step 11. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour with 3-4 tablespoons to make a slurry. Stir it into the gravy to thicken and press Cancel to stop the Saute process. Pour the thickened brown gravy over the beef or serve on the side.
What To Serve With Pot Roast Beef
The best side dishes to enjoy this tender roast beef are those that can soak up all that rich gravy. Mashed potatoes are the classic pairing, alongside some green vegetables. You can also roast potatoes or vegetables or make a side of quinoa, creamy polenta, rice or pasta noodles.
How about roast beef and gravy sandwiches? Grab a few dinner rolls or soft baguettes to make a super comforting meal of dripping beef and bread.
Wine pairing for roast beef and gravy: A robust red wine is all you need to complete this meal. Look for something with full-body that can stand up to the richness of beef and gravy. Serving the same red that you cooked with (good quality stuff) always compliments the flavors well.
Storage Tips
- To Store. To keep the meat moist, store it drenched or combined with gravy. It should keep for up 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- To Freeze. Once the meat and gravy are combined, allow them to cool quickly and store together in a large airtight container or in individual portions for up to 3 months. Defrost the dish overnight in the fridge and use it within 24 hours. You can also defrost in a microwave or on a stovetop on low heat.
- To Reheat. To reheat roast beef, add a splash of water or stock if the sauce has thickened. Make sure to reheat until piping hot.
More Instant Pot Beef Recipes
- Instant Pot Beefaroni Recipe
- Whole30 Beef Stew (Instant Pot & Stovetop Recipe)
- Instant Pot Beef Cheeks (Served 4 Ways)
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Recipes You Will Love Every Time
Full Recipe
Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.
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Instant Pot Roast Beef & Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef topside, chuck roast, or eye round roast cut (remove excess fat if you wish), cut in halves or three pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅔ teaspoon pepper
- ½ onion large, yellow or red
- ½ cup red wine dry
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
- 1 oz. gravy mix 3 tablespoons brown gravy mix (like this)
- 1.5 cups water
To finish the gravy:
- 1 tablespoon flour + 3-4 tbsp. water
- Sides: mashed potatoes carrots and/or broccoli
Instructions
- Prep. Cut the meat into two or three big chunks to fit inside the pot. Season with salt and pepper on each side.
- Saute. Set up the Instant Pot and press the Saute button multiple times until it shows More mode (the hotter setting). Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to heat up.
- Add pieces of beef, one at a time, and sear until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Once the pot gets really hot, you can press the Saute button again to change the mode from More to Normal to reduce the heat. Add a little more oil if you need it.
- Remove the beef, and add a little more oil and the onions. Stir through for 30 seconds.
- Deglaze. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot. Press Cancel to stop the Saute function. Use a spatula to stir through the wine and onions, scraping the bottom of the pot until all stuck bits are incorporated into the liquid. This will stop the Burn error from happening.
- Make the gravy. Add garlic cloves and thyme and stir. Pour in 1.5 cups of water and stir through. Add and stir in the brown gravy mix until dissolved. The liquid will thicken slightly.
- Pressure Cook. Place pre-seared beef pieces in the gravy. Scoop some of the liquid over the top.
- Secure and lock the lid. Select Pressure Cook/Manual and adjust the time to 45 minutes on HIGH pressure. Now relax! Once the timer is done, release the pressure naturally. You can start preparing the sides while the pressure is released.
- Shred or slice meat. Open the lid and remove the cooked beef into a bowl. Cover with some foil or a lid to keep warm. Slice or shred the beef on a platter. Do this just before the gravy is finished.
- Reduce gravy broth. Press the Saute button again and set it to Normal mode. Allow the cooking broth to come to a simmering bubble and let it cook off for about 10 minutes, stirring a few times. This will reduce the gravy.
- Thicken gravy. Whisk together 1 tablespoon of flour with 3-4 tablespoons to make a slurry. Stir it into the gravy to thicken and press Cancel to stop the Saute process. Pour the thickened brown gravy over the beef or serve on the side.
Nikki Shadbolt
Can this be cooked from frozen?
Instant Pot Eats
Hey Nikki, yes, you can. Set the cooking time based on the size of the roast. Generally, you can use 20-30 minutes per pound of meat. For example, a 3-pound roast would need about 60-90 minutes of cooking time from frozen. You can even sear the meat first as well.
Rick Bullman
Was very good
Ann Fabrizio
Thanks!